My Artist Friend cover art

My Artist Friend

My Artist Friend

By: Becky Helms
Listen for free

About this listen

 My Artist Friend is a podcast by Becky Helms, an experience product designer and illustrator. Each episode, Becky interviews a fellow artist and they chat about business, life and creativity. There will inevitably be some business advise for product based businesses, but the show mainly centers around community and getting to know the artists behind your favorite brands.

beckyhelms.substack.comBecky Helms Art Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • #37 - Snart Theme for March! Bag Charms!

    #37 - Snart Theme for March! Bag Charms!
    Mar 4 2026
    It’s time for another Snack + Art = SnArt! This month, I’m taking all my beading knowledge from The 100 Day Project (check my Notes to see what I’ve been up to) and using it to make bag charms.I’ve been charm girlie for years. My keychains are always heavy, my cell phones had multiple dangly charms and my ita bags have always been full. The LaBubu craze and obsession with blind boxes is not new to me. Don’t recite the old magic to me. I was there when it was written!Anyway! Let’s make some charms this month. I’ve got lots of links below for inspo and resources. I can’t wait to see what you make!ALSO! I totally forgot to mention that this craft is perfect for fiber artists, too. So please include small quilted objects (zipper bags, single blocks, etc), crocheted trinkets and knitted cuties to the list of projects.Ok! Enough rambling! Enjoy the episode!Thanks for listening to the podcast! If you don’t want to subscribe, but want to support, consider a small, one-time donation. Similar to the “buy me a coffee” buttons, but I don’t drink coffee and would rather wander a thrift store lol. Love you!ArtistsBright Bat Design* Nugget Keychains - adorable plush keychain charms that even have their own ita bag backpacks!* Acrylic Keychains - If you just want cute keychains to add to the mix, she’s got them!Burger Babie* Blind Bag Keychains - Padded vinyl blind bag charms in her unique style.Sugarbones* Star Pocket Trinket Keychain - I have one of these and they fit Sonny Angels perfectly. I have a bunch of Calico Critters in mine.* Star Bag Mini Backpack - If you need a bag with lots of rings to attach your charms to, this is the one!Ugly Plants* Photocard Holder - These are great for showing off Pokemon cards or KPop photocards. A fun addition to any bag charm.ResourcesThe Stylish Maker YouTube Channel* Keyring Tutorial* Necklace Stringing TutorialPerkins on Parkway YouTube Channel* Dangle Bag Charm* Wrap-around Bag CharmKitto YouTube Channel* Plush Charm TutorialChelsea DIY YouTube Channel* Plush Cookie Keychain Activities* Craft Night - Swap supplies, make things for each other, put on a movie and have a cozy night in.* Thrift or Vintage Hunting - Go looking for trinkets that can be used as beads or charms or pendants. Get nostaligic!* Long-distance charm swap - Send your friends a bag of a mystery beads, or make something just for them! My friend Courtney and I are doing this right now!* Sisterhood of the traveling charm - Start a charm and send it to a friend. Then, they add to it and send it to another friend! Keep it going!Projects* Beaded Charms - A great place to start.* Sew Your Own Plush Charm - Use your own characters or choose an existing plush to modify.* Up-Cycle a Vintage Toy - If you have a dremel it makes it easier, but if just get some screw eyes, you can shove it straight into a soft vinyl toy!* Rhinestone a trinket or keychain - Get our your glue and rhinestones and make something mundane, fabulous.* Recreate Vintage Charm Necklace - Do your remember these charm necklaces from the 80s? How cute would it be as a charm chain going from one handle of a purse to another?I hope you make something fun this month!♡ BeckyThanks for reading and listening to My Artist Friend with Becky Helms! This post is public so please feel free share it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beckyhelms.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    22 mins
  • #36 - Snart Theme for February!

    #36 - Snart Theme for February!
    Feb 5 2026
    It’s time for another Snack + Art = SnArt! This month is a little weird because the topic is very niche. We’re doing t-shirt quilting in February! I know. I know. I haven’t even done regular quilting as a topic for Snart yet, but I think this has a lot of potential.We’re going to de-stash, up-cycle and make some stuff out of t-shirts that is not limited to just quilting. I promise, I have some fun activities and projects to try. Let me know what you think!!My Artist Friend with Becky Helms is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.ArtistsI usually mention artists that use whatever medium I’m yapping about, but I couldn’t find any that were specific to t-shirts. There are lots of amazing textile artists, but in my brief research, I couldn’t find anyone specifically upcycling shirts. There are lots of craft round-ups about things you can make with shirts, but nothing that stood out to be shirt-specific. If you know of anyone, please let me know!BooksThe T-Shirt Quilt Book: Create One-Of-A-Kind Keepsakes - Make 8 Exciting Projects or Design Your Own by Lindsay Conner and Carla Hegeman Crim* I found this book at the library the other day and it kicked off of my hyperfixation. It’s got step-by-step instructions and advice on specific interfacing that works best to stabilize t-shirts.Modern Memory Quilts: A Handbook for Capturing Meaningful Moments,12 Projects + the Stories That Inspired Them by Suzanne Paquette* This one looked promising from the preview photos. Something a little more modern?T-Shirt Quilts Made Easy Quilt Book by Martha Deleonardis* The listing for this one on Fat Quarter Shop (a favorite online fabric store!) said, “cracked the code of stabilizing all sorts of stretchy fabric” and I need to know everything!Activities* Go through clothes together - Sit down with your family and go through clothes together! Reminisce, choose favorites for the quilt and maybe choose others for hand-me-downs or donations. Do a clean-out and craft at the same time. * Clothing swap - Organize a t-shirt swap with friends and grow your collection! Maybe other folks would want to join in on your project after seeing everything together and adding new shirts to their stash.* Thrift adventure - Go out and find some new-to-you treasures! Maybe you want band tees, 90s nostalgia, a specific color scheme or local spots? I think checking out the thrift, yard sales and estate sales would be a fun way to gather material for a recycled craft like this.Projects* T-Shirt Quilt - You can just google “t-shirt quilt patterns” and be inundated with all kinds of patterns and YouTube videos. Go wild with those! But here are three patterns that I thought were unique in a crowded space.* Rebel Girl Quilt Pattern - This quilt looks like records coming out of their sleeves and I saw someone on reddit use it by putting band tees where the record sleeve piece go! Brilliant. And it’s free!* Book Nook Quilt Pattern - This made me think of another favorite pattern that is of book covers and stacks of books. You could do a bookish quilt, or just make it like, the story of your life. * Polaroid T-Shirt Quilt - I just thought this one was so fun. It’s a clean layout with a vintage feel that is so versatile. How fun would it be to print out actual photos on fabric to use for this?! Not what we were talking about, but kind of cool. Oh! Or t-shirts with faces on them like bands or movies? I’m overthinking now.* Pillow Shams - These can be as simple or as complicated as you want. You can quilt multiple shirts together, or just pick one. I’ve linked three different methods of sewing them together.* No Zipper Free Pattern - This is a very simple YouTube video showing how to make a pillowcase without a zipper. I’d add some interfacing to it, tbh, but it’s a great place to start.* T-Shirt Pillow with Zipper - This is a little more advanced, but I think it looks nice.* Simplest Pillow of the Bunch - This one doesn’t require flaps or zippers!* Ornaments - If you have shirts with smaller elements or a repeating pattern that can be cut and used multiple times, ornaments might be a fun thing to make.* The House that Lars Built - This particular pattern has fabric that was custom printed, but it gives you a good idea of how to cut out abnormal shapes and how to add some extra flair. I’d definitely recommend interfacing to make stuffing them easier. T-shirt fabric can get ridiculously stretchy and hard to manage.* Kimekomi Ornaments - These come from a Japanese dollmaking technique where lines are scored on a foam surface and fabric is tucked into the lines. Definitely use interfacing, but this is great for smaller, recognizable patterns.* Upcycle Elements from T-shirts - This tutorial is so cute. I love the idea of using the interfacing to fuse the shirt onto felt and then cut out the design from there. * Use Excess as Material - After you ...
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • #35 - Gently Pushing Through Creative Block

    #35 - Gently Pushing Through Creative Block
    Jan 22 2026
    Hi! I’m Becky, a former shop owner & independent artist, currently reclaiming my creativity & living a slow, nerdy life. I love sharing small businesses, chatting about crafts and hollerin’ about books.Come hangout in this silly, cat-photo-filled, creative space!Be Gentle with Yourself* Get at least eight hours of sleep!* I cannot stress to you how important sleep is. Check out any episode of Life Kit about sleep.* Get a physical and ask about regular bloodwork* Sometimes there’s a physical reason you’ve got brain fog. I have to take vitamin d supplements in the winter and I can tell when I need them!* Think about therapy or bring it up to your therapist.* Talk therapy on a regular basis is amazing! Sometimes just getting it out at being validated can open a new door for you.* No negative self talk.* Don’t be the villain in your own story. It’s so easy to spiral, but please be gentle with yourself.Things to Try * Go to a museum, or browse a museum’s collection online.* Pinterest is full of AI slop, so sometimes you have to go straight to the source. Being around the physical work can give it a whole new meaning. Seeing the brushstrokes and taking in the scale can impact you in ways you’d never imagine. I saw Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi in person the other day and I’m obsessed. * If you don’t have any museums near you, browse the online collections of your favorite spots. These are great because you can see works that they don’t have out, too. Get lost in a rabbit hole of modern and ancient art!* Bring your sketchbook, camera and/or a friend and take your time!* Go take a walk in nature.* This is not groundbreaking and I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but it always works. * If you can’t get outside (our high as I write this is 15 🥶), I suggest finding a botanical garden with a greenhouse! The walk in might be rough, but it’ll be toasty warm inside and you’ll be surrounded by beautiful plant life. There are also florists and plant stores if there’s nothing else. But maybe don’t settle in for a long visit there lol.* Bring a sketchbook or camera (single-use, instant film, fancy camera or just your phone) and record what you see. If you bring your phone, maybe you can print out your photos on one of those sticker paper printers. I want one.* Make your home the studio.* Grab a bouquet of flowers at the grocery store or a cute new plant at the local plant shop and bring it home (if you don’t have a cat like Sprinkles who eats every plant I’ve ever bought 😑)* Thrift some items to make a still life. Pressed glass vases, vintage books, toys from your childhood, a letter case full of trinkets, a table setting of beautiful china. Sari shows us that still life paintings can be anything!* Draw your subject from different angles. Paint flowers each day as they wilt. Dry the flowers and hang them and draw them again. Sculpt your still life out of air dry clay and make a 1:1 replica. Use paper mâché to make a giant version of your subject. The possibilities are only limited by your brain. And as long as you’re not using genAI regularly, you probably still have a brain to use!* Go to YouTube University!* Pick a medium you’ve always wanted to try and find an instructional video on YouTube. Grab your supplies, make the time and get ready to suck at it! * Try it at least twice so you can learn from your mistakes and keep trying. You don’t have to show anyone and you can chuck after you want. This is just to stretch your creative muscles in a new direction for a bit.* If you’re feeling sassy, invite a friend over or do this with your partner or kids!* Junk journal or collage.* This is an easy way to use the things around you in a new way. You don’t have to buy anything, unless you want a new sketchbook. I’ll never stand in the way of an artist and new sketchbook.* The point here is get creative with things around you. This is nothing you’re going to monetize. It’s just a way to cut and paste and play for a minute. Get out of the day to day and don’t force it to be good. Just like Jen Perkins says, “Glue stuff to stuff”. * Bonus, you can make this as easy or difficult as you want. Get some paper and scribble on it. Make your own textures and colors. Or just use what you’ve got if you don’t want to mess with it.♡ BeckyThanks for reading and listening to My Artist Friend with Becky Helms! This post is public so please feel free share it! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beckyhelms.substack.com/subscribe
    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
No reviews yet